USAID releases the 17th edition of the CSO Sustainability Index for Europe and Eurasia

This year’s presentation of the 17th edition of the Civil Society Organisation Sustainability Index (CSOSI) for Europe and Eurasia, released by USAID was organized by Studiorum and the Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation within the meeting of the Platform for anti-corruption and good governance. According to the CSOSI 2013 Report, civil society organizations in Europe and Eurasia are generally benefitting from increased levels of citizen participation and their prominence is increasingly prompting governments to look at them more closely.

The presentation of the 17th edition of the Civil Society Organisation Sustainability Index (CSOSI) for Europe and Eurasia, released by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was organized by Studiorum at the premises of the Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation (MCIC) in Skopje on September 22, 2014. This year, the information session was held within the meeting of the Platform for anti-corruption and good governance whose establishment has been supported by Studiorum since its inception.

Neda Milevska-Kostova, Executive Director of CRPRC Studiorum opened the session and presented the CSOSI methodology i.e. its structure, outcomes, benefits and challenges. Her presentation was followed by Emina Nuredinoska, Civil Society Program Coordinator from the Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation, who provided insight into the CSOSI 2013 Macedonia report.

According to the latest version of USAID’s CSOSI, civil society organizations in Europe and Eurasia are generally benefitting from increased levels of citizen participation and their prominence is increasingly prompting governments to look at them more closely. However, this year’s CSOSI shows that in 2013 the countries in Europe and Eurasia continued to move on different trajectories. While some countries increasingly involved citizens in policy making, others sought to close space for civic activity. Although it has far to go until it is sustainable everywhere, the civil society sector has shown strength and maturity in many countries of the region.

The CSOSI for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, produced by USAID, assesses progress in the development of a broad range of non-profit, civil society organizations (CSO) active in the Europe and Eurasia region. Nowadays, CSOSI covers over 60 countries in different regions around the world.

The full CSOSI 2013 Report for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia can be found at: http://www.usaid.gov/europe-eurasia-civil-society.